If This Is A Dream
by breathe4her
Summary: Is Rachel Berry dreaming or did she get lost in another reality? With Quinn Fabray in the picture, Rachel doesn't care about her dilemma, she just wants to be like every other teenage girl in love. Rated T - may be lifted.
1. Cambridge, Minnesota

_A/N: Well, here we are again. Not sure how many of you would like to read another fic of mine seeing as I've left others unfinished. It was never my intention but sometimes the writer's light bulb begins to dim and mine likes to flicker a lot. I am truly sorry._

_Anyway, I have something here that is showing my support for the Faberry fandom (with a side of Brittana of course). If this looks familiar to you, it's because I started posting it over a year ago under the name 'withoutyourdress'. I tweaked it and decided to repost it under this name because I can't escape from being 'breathe4her' for too long. _

_This is almost halfway complete and my goal is to post one chapter a weekend until it's complete. This gives me a week in-between to finish this lovely attempt at some Faberry romance._

_Beware: The chapters vary in length so don't be too disappointed if you find one too short. It helps lay out the plot as we go along._

_Thank you for taking the time out to read this long A/N and I'll stop wasting your time!_

_**Disclaimer: Do not own nor have the rights for the Glee characters except for the small cameos of originals.**_

_**Rated: PG-13**_

_****_**If This Is A Dream (Then I'm Happy You're Having It With Me)**

**Chapter One | Cambridge, Minnesota**

"Okay class," Mr. Burton clapped his hands to grab his students attention and when he got it, he dove right into that day's assignment. "We're splitting up into groups of two today for this assignment. Rows A and C, the person on your right will be your partner."

"Great." Alison Greyson muttered when she realized she was stuck with Rachel Berry. "This just killed my social status Mr. Burton. I'm blaming you if I don't make squad captain next year."

Rachel frowned but let the comment roll off her back.

"Just don't touch her okay? You might catch the gay." Lisa Kramer sneered loud enough for the brunette to hear and over half of the class laughed.

"It's not contagious." Rachel hissed and opened her textbook according to the pages that the teacher wrote on the board. "Mr. Burton, if you don't mind, I'd like to be my own partner. I find that I'll do a better job without some Barbie breathing over my shoulder telling me what to do when she can barely write her own name."

The blonde beside her gasped and narrowed her eyes. "I will make you pay for that!"

"I'm sorry Rachel, this assignment is about team work. There is no 'I' in team." Mr. Burton shrugged his bulky shoulders and instructed the class to get to work.

Rachel sighed heavily as Alison started to outline their project quietly. She knew though, by the end of the period, she would do the majority of the work and Alison would still take full credit.

"Could you stop breathing on me?" Alison whispered roughly when Rachel leaned too close to read what the blonde was writing down.

"You're wording it all wrong." Rachel sighed heavily and rubbed her temples.

"Would you like to do this?" The blonde barked and shoved the notebook her way. "Just use your own pen."

"Gladly." Rachel smirked. "Wouldn't wanna catch 'the stupid'." She mocked, loud enough for the others to hear as well.

"You can't even catch 'the stupid'." Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"No, you're right. That's only reserved for you special folk." The small brunette mumbled and slammed her notebook shut as soon as the bell rang.

"You better have this done by tomorrow midget, or else." Alison rammed into her shoulder, making Rachel fall back into a stack of chairs. The class laughed as they piled out of the room and she caught the gaze of Mr. Burton looking at her.

"I'll report her if you want me to." He said and cleaned his glasses.

Rachel shook her head and left the room silently, making her way to her locker. She smiled a little when she noticed Jacob waiting for her patiently. "Hey Rach!" He grinned and handed her a pack of M&M's, her favourite.

"I hope your day is going better than mine." She smiled tiredly at him and glanced at the bag of candy in her hands. "And thank you by the way."

"I can't complain about my day so far. I only received one wedgie." He shrugged and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. Before he could ask her to hang out after school, they were surrounded by a bunch of jocks and cheerleaders in their letterman jackets.

"I heard your big motor mouth wouldn't shut up today." Dave Karofsky glared down at the smaller brunette. "I don't like it when people disrespect my girl." He tugged Alison closer to his side by her waist. "You make fun of her, you're making fun of me."

Jacob shook in his boots but he refused to leave Rachel's side. "M-maybe you should leave her alone."

"Really Jewfro?" Dave laughed in his face and shoved him against the lockers hard, pinning him there with one hand. "You better keep a tight leash on your girl or else we'll have some problems."

"I am _not_ his girl." Rachel snapped and held her head high.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry. I almost forgot that you were gay." Dave let go of Jacob to high five his jock friends before he set his sights back on Rachel. "I want you to apologize to Alison."

"I will once she gives me one."

Dave shook his head and cracked his knuckles. "You know, my mother always taught me not to raise a hand to a lady. So I'll supervise while the girls have their fun."

Rachel barely had a chance to grasp what was going on. There was a slap to her face, a tug on her hair, her locker being opened while her personal things were strewn all over the crowded hallway and finally her jacket was being ripped out of her hands and passed along the football players.

"Have fun keeping warm on your way home, loser." Alison laughed and shoved her against the locker one last time before the swarm of them left her alone.

Jacob started to clean up the mess of loose papers on the floor and Rachel sighed, kneeling down to help him.

The day was just beginning for them both.

* * *

The snow fell silently on the quiet streets of Cambridge, Minnesota. The cold winter breeze cut through the tiny brunette's skin as sluggish footsteps left impressions in the deep snow along the empty road. Her arms wrapped around her body and her teeth chattered together when the wind picked up.

It had been a long afternoon and Rachel Berry couldn't wait until she got home to shut out the world for the weekend. In the meantime, she just wanted to get home so she could warm up. It didn't help that the jocks and cheerleaders from school had stolen her thick winter jacket and refused to return it by the time school was out. And of course it had to happen on the day that her Dad worked late and her Daddy wasn't due back until the next day because he was piloting over the Pacific Ocean for American Airlines. So she was left to walk home. Luckily, she only lived a few blocks from school so she wasn't too worried about it.

"Rachel!" Jacob Ben Israel caught up to her and offered his parka. He seemed to beam when she accepted it without hesitation. "Sorry those jocks got to you again."

Rachel shrugged as if it were no big deal. It wasn't anything new but a part of her was growing sick of the treatment she received by her peers. It didn't help that she had befriended the Jewish boy that was now walking with her. It hadn't been something she planned or wanted but Jacob seemed to be the only guy, no scratch that, the only person that gave her the time of day. Even if he constantly showered her in flowers and unwanted poetry, she was still thankful he was there for her even though she turned him down every single time.

"I tried to get your jacket back but they threatened to dunk my head in a pee filled toilet again." Jacob sighed.

"Thank you." Rachel smiled at him and patted his shoulder. She realized he was now shivering and immediately felt guilty for taking his jacket. So when they approached her house, she offered him to join her for hot chocolate to warm up.

Jacob grinned like a little boy on his sixth birthday and followed the brunette into the spacious house. It wasn't like he hadn't been in her house before but it never ceased to amaze him that he was friends with Rachel Berry.

If only the other kids thought that way.


	2. Once Upon A Time

Thank you for your follows and favourites! :)  
_T'was short, I know. If you want, I'll post chapter 3 tomorrow night and that'll officially kick off the beginning of Faberry. So let me know!_

_**Disclaimer: **Do not own.**  
Rated: **PG13_

**If This Is A Dream (Then I'm Happy You're Having It With Me)**

**Chapter Two | Once Upon A Time**

Leroy and Hiram Berry lived pretty normal lives. Even though they were talk of the town, they had really good friends that supported them and enjoyed their company. They feared that their daughter would never see that the pain and struggles she went through every day, would pay off once high school was over.

"It's just high school?!" Rachel screeched at the dinner table. "Did you think that way when you were in school and teased for being gay?" Silence greeted her and she wanted to smile triumphantly at her victory but couldn't.

"Rach, honey," Leroy sighed and patted her hand lightly, "we understand what you're going through."

"Then you should know it's not that easy to ignore." Rachel shook her head and pulled her hand away from the comforting grip of her dad's. "I don't break down in front of them but when I come home, don't I deserve to vent to you about this stuff?"

"Of course baby." Leroy comforted her with his deep soothing voice. "We just want you to know that it will get better. Look at your daddy and I? We made it out and we're more than okay."

The small brunette inhaled slowly before releasing the air from her lungs. "Maybe it will get better," she whispered, her voice quivering, "but I don't know if I can wait that long. I have two more years left in school and every day they're that much closer to tearing me down like it's their only mission in life."

"I'm sure that's not true." Leroy frowned.

"Argh!" She stomped her foot down and balled her fists up tightly. "I can't believe you're giving them credit and defending them. Do you know what they do to Jacob? Did you know that I walked home yesterday in this freezing weather because they refused to give me back my jacket?"

Hiram stood up abruptly and scowled. "They did _what?_"

"Oh, so now you're concerned?" Rachel huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"We're always concerned about your wellbeing Rachel." Leroy frowned and shook his head. "Did you want us to talk to the school about this bullying?"

"Yes because I can see how that'll make things easier for me." The young diva wanted to punch or throw something but held her ground.

"You don't have to tolerate that kind of behaviour. We want to make this right for you." Leroy smiled a little at his daughter but she didn't even blink. When Rachel was angry, it was hard to get her to snap out of it. She was very stubborn that way.

"I'm going to bed." Rachel brushed past them and whirled on her feet towards the staircase.

"But we haven't had dinner yet!" Her daddy hollered after her and the only response he got was a door slamming considerably hard.

Leroy sighed and swallowed as his husband sat down at the table. "We should've told her we were moving."

"It's not final yet." Hiram put his head down slightly. "If that job doesn't pull through then we'd be getting her excited over nothing."

They both fell silent before Leroy perked up. "Well if it doesn't pull through, maybe we can take her on a Christmas vacation! I know she's always wanted to go to New York in the winter."

Without them knowing, Rachel had managed to sneak to the stairs in order to eavesdrop on their conversation. She had mastered the art since she was a kid and found out value information. Like the one time she overheard them talking about her birth mother and when would be the appropriate age for her to meet the woman. Rachel had no desire to learn who the woman was and the next morning after hearing that tidbit, she casually brought up the birth mother and said she'd never want to meet her, she was happy with the parents she had. The nameless woman was never brought up again.

However, just learning about the possibility of getting out of Cambridge, Minnesota was more than exciting. She bit her bottom lip and crossed her fingers that it'd come true. She could care less about the trip to New York because what she wanted more than anything was to escape her life and the hell she was living in.

School had to be better than what she was experiencing. She'd watched all the high school specials that aired and knew there were bullies but she also knew she didn't have to be the target.

Holding onto hope, Rachel rushed back into her bedroom and shut the door quietly. Her eyes glanced around her bedroom frantically as she tried to remember where she had put the leather bound journal her daddy had bought her when he was away on his job.

Dropping to her knees, she found it under her bed tucked in between stacks of magazines and other books she'd already read a dozen times before. Clutching it to her chest, she grabbed her favourite gold pen and sat down on her bed. Her fingers trailed over the unique stitch design of her name on the cover and she smiled. She knew how much Hiram loved her as well as Leroy. They weren't always around but when they were, they wanted the best for her and told her they loved her every chance they had.

Blowing her hair out of her eyes, Rachel unsnapped the buckle on the journal and held her breath before opening it for the very first time. The smell of the crisp paper wafted through her nose and her eyes widened at the script written neatly across the first page:

_**Begin your story here and watch it unfold before your eyes. Catch your dreams and you'll discover your 'Once Upon A Time'.**_

A tug at her chest caused her to gasp silently to herself. Words upon words of hopes and dreams started to invade her mind and she frowned, closing her eyes as she tried to form a sentence together. A perfect sentence to start off her entry, her story… the beginning of a new plan she was going to execute come hell or high water. Tapping the pen against her chin, she concentrated until finally, she brought the ink part down to the untouched paper:

_I wish to be living in a new town, a new state. Be a girl with friends, not just one, but a few I can count on. A gorgeous crush (potential girlfriend), a club I can join without being made fun of and my parents to be home more often. That is my dream and I'll do anything to catch it. That is where I want my 'Once Upon A Time' to start._

Rachel sighed and wished it were that easy. She wanted to erase the words taunting her but knew she couldn't mess up her new journal. Besides, she made a promise to herself years ago that she'd never regret what she wrote down because the words from her mind and heart were the only truest things she could believe in.

Carefully running her fingers over the dried gold ink, she swore she saw the words glow briefly. Her eyes widened and she shook her head, clearing her of nonsense. When she thought she noticed it again, Rachel closed the journal quickly and buckled it back up before tossing it gently on her bed. Taking a deep breath, she decided that updating her Facebook would be a better way to occupy her mind.

Later that night, long after she forgot about the journal incident, Rachel was freshly showered and ready to curl up in bed and read until she could no longer keep her eyes open. Throwing her clothes in the hamper and giving her hair one last brush, she turned to her bed and nearly fell over when words _glowing_ from her journal stared back at her.

Against her better judgement of fleeing or setting the damn thing on fire, curiosity won out and she found herself at the side of her bed, hands ready to pick up the leather book. Swallowing, she glanced back at her closed bedroom door before her attention fell back on the words scrolled in front of her. Just one touch of her fingertips to the parched paper and that was all it took to turn Rachel Berry's world upside down.

But in her case, maybe it was about to turn her life, downside up.


	3. Rachel the Sagittarius

**If This Is A Dream (Then I'm Happy You're Having It With Me)**

**Chapter Three | Rachel the Sagittarius **

Frost covered the windows but the early morning sun poured through, warming the lump on the queen size bed. Rachel shifted and scowled at the disturbance of the bright rays interrupting her Saturday morning, simply because it was the only day of the week she allowed herself to sleep in. She swore she closed the curtains the night before after she showered. Upon remember the night before, Rachel sat up quickly, nearly giving herself a head rush and pushed herself over the edge of the bed to grab that damn journal from underneath it. Something else caught her eye though.

The white carpet that graced her bedroom was no longer there; instead it was replaced by shiny hardwood flooring. "What?!" She shrieked and got out of bed, her eyes scanning her room. Even though her posters were the same and her laptop was sitting on her desk like usual; all the furniture was different and her walls were no long a creamy colour but a bright sunshine yellow.

"Rachel? Darling?" Hiram knocked on her bedroom door and she swung it open to find his face a little scruffy and his glasses upon his almost baldhead. "Are you okay? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Confusion spread across her face and she didn't understand what the hell was going on. "Where are we?"

"Excuse me?" Hiram laughed a little and gave her a questioning glance. "Honey, did you eat those spicy Doritos before bed again?"

"What? No! Daddy, I… where are we?" She ran to her bedroom window and noticed it was facing a side street, one that wasn't there the night before. Snow covered the ground but not as much as it was.

"We're at home. Did you hit your head?" He asked, no longer teasing her but genuinely confused.

"No, I didn't." She threw back defensively and ran a hand through her messy hair. "Where is my journal?" Huffing, Rachel threw back her blankets, tossed her pillows aside and looked under her bed again but no book was found. "Have you seen it?"

Hiram cast a worried glance at his daughter but shook his head. "I don't come in here Rachel, you know that. I haven't seen it since I gave it to you last month."

Rachel's face scrunched up in confusion and she shook her head. "No, you gave it to me last week for my birthday when you came home from flying your route." She watched has her daddy's face dropped and she frowned. "What? What's wrong?"

"Rachel," he sighed heavily and placed his hands on her shoulders, "I haven't flown a plane for about a month now. I quit the moment we moved here to Lima."

"That's impossible!" Rachel's mind was racing at the possibility of her blacking out for a month. "I've got to be dreaming. Maybe I'm in a coma?"

Hiram stepped back. "Why would you be in a coma?"

"The kids at school, they probably drugged me or something." Rachel huffed and threw herself dramatically on her bed.

"Okay, I'm going to get your father because you're freaking me out a little." Hiram walked backwards to the door and called his husband.

"You rang?" The taller man wrapped his arm around Hiram's waist and kissed his temple. "Rachel, why aren't you ready for school yet? The bus comes in 20 minutes. You don't want to be late on your first day in a new high school."

"Yeah see, this is why I called you. Rachel's acting weird." The shorter guy whispered.

"It's Satur- what? First day of what now?" She stopped flailing around before she felt light headed. It was all too much and she couldn't process what was going on.

"Rach," Leroy sighed and went to his daughter's side, pulling her small body into a hug, "I know you're worried about your first day but I checked this school out for you and you're going to love it. They have a glee club! Isn't that what you wanted?"

For a brief moment, Rachel's mind paused at something her dad had said. Something that was coming together slowly in her mind and then it hit her like a ton of bricks. "When did we move here?"

"Nearly a month ago but you couldn't start school because of the winter break that just ended. You wanted to have a fresh start in the new semester." Hiram could tell that his daughter was grasping at some familiarity and it relieved him a little bit.

"So, we're in Lima, Ohio, you no longer work as a pilot," she pointed to her shorter father before biting her lip when he nodded, "and school's back for the second semester and there's a glee club?" She could feel that journal jump out in her mind at the things she had written down. _"Begin your story here and watch it unfold before your eyes. Catch your dreams and you'll discover your 'Once Upon A Time'."_ She whispered to herself when the script flashed before her eyes.

"What?" Leroy looked at his daughter with a sort of amusement.

"Um, nothing!" Rachel laughed a little and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm going to grab a quick shower."

Leroy and Hiram exchanged glances but nodded their heads. "Hurry."

It didn't take long for Rachel to get herself cleaned up and dressed. Her hair was dry and she was able to grab an apple on her way out the door, just in time for the bus as it pulled up in front of her place. She'd never had to catch the bus before so it was a little exciting when the kids greeted her with warm smiles. She slid into an empty seat beside a tall guy wearing a red and white letterman jacket.

"Hi." His soft voice made her feel at ease and she grinned at him. "I'm Finn."

"Rachel." She shook his offered hand and couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

"You're new here?" He asked without missing a beat, his brown eyes scanning over her face.

"Yeah, um, I'm originally from Minnesota." The brunette tucked hair behind her ears, trying to hide just how happy she was that someone was talking to her, being nice and wearing a jock jacket.

"Oh. Well welcome to Lima!" He laughed and rested his arm on the seat behind her head. "I've travelled a lot but I've never been to Minnesota. Is it exciting there?"

Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes. "No, not in the slightest. You're not missing much, trust me."

Finn just shrugged and gave her a crooked grin. The bus had stopped and picked up a few more kids along the way. He seemed to know them because he waved and they took the seat in front of them. "Guys," he gave the two guys a high five, "this is Rachel. She's the new girl."

The one guy sporting a mohawk gave her a lavishing grin and looked her up and down. "Puck, nice to meet you."

Rachel blushed under his intense gaze and nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"And I'm Mike," the Asian boy shook her hand. "What brings you to Lima, Ohio?"

Rachel paused briefly before sitting straighter, her head held high. "My dads decided it was time for a change." The real test of these new friendly people would be how they reacted to her having two dads and no mom.

"Cool." Mike nodded and smiled. "Not sure why'd they change it to Ohio but either way, we got your back if anyone decides to mess with ya." He winked and nudged Puck.

"Two dads?" Puck raised an eyebrow before letting out a chuckle. "It'd be cooler if you had two moms. I'd totally try and squeeze into that marriage."

"Puck, seriously?" Finn smacked him upside the head. "What he means is, it's cool that you have two dads. We have this friend in school, he's as gay as a rainbow and he's pretty awesome."

"Oh." Rachel squeaked and licked her lips. Her thoughts drifted back to the day before. The day in her _reality_ where other students were calling her names, stealing her winter coat, threatening to beat her up if she didn't do their homework. It was just the night before she had threw a fit in front of her fathers because she was at her breaking point with high school and they didn't seem to understand how much she went through every day. And there she was, at that moment, sitting with three guys that were wearing letterman jackets and were already acting like her own personal bodyguards. She had to figure out exactly what was going on because if she was dreaming, she sure as hell never wanted to wake up.

Stepping off the bus, Rachel found herself standing in front of a large school entrance. Bus after bus dropped off students while others parked in the student parking lot. She wasn't sure where to go or what to do so when she found her arm looped with Mike's and pulled forward, she felt better.

"I'll show you where the office is so you can pick up your schedule. It's not that hard to find your way around in this school so you should be able to find your classes okay but if you need help, we're here." He winked at her and she smiled in appreciation.

"I wouldn't mind following you around all day." Puck whistled, checking out her legs and his eyes stopped at where the hem of the skirt rested.

"I really don't like being looked at like I'm a piece of meat, Puck." Rachel shifted uncomfortably under his dark hazel gaze.

"Okay but when you want to get down and dirty sometime, let me know." Puck blew her a kiss and took off down the opposite side of the hall.

"Is he always like that?" Rachel asked Mike and Finn.

"Yup." They both answered and laughed.

"Well we have to go check in with Coach Beiste before homeroom starts, are you going to be okay?" Finn asked, shifting his backpack over his shoulder.

"Thanks, I'll be fine." The short brunette waved at them as they ran down the hall before she turned into the office area.

* * *

Word got around McKinley High that Rachel Berry was the new girl. She had the attention of everyone and it was hard to focus in class when she could hear whispers all around her. She had made a couple of new friends in her first class of the day, Tina and Mercedes. They passed her notes inquiring what it was like to live somewhere other than Ohio. Her answer was the same as it was when she replied to Finn's similar question: they weren't missing much.

Finding her locker had been a bit of a challenge because the secretary in the office was dyslexic and wrote down the number 568 instead of 685. It felt good that it was the only thing that messed up her day so far because she hated tardiness. A part of her was waiting for the other shoe to drop because high school could not be _that_ easy, especially being the new kid on her first day.

Of course, the moment she felt something cold and sticky hit her face, she instantly hated herself for cursing it all in one fleeting thought. She gasped as the purple syrupy liquid dripped down her chin and onto her clean white sweater. She heard someone laughing and for a second she recognized the awful sound. Wiping her fingers over her eyes, they hardened when she noticed a familiar face pointing at her. "Karofsky." She seethed and watched as a moment of confusion washed over his face.

Before the bulky guy could question her on how she knew his name, Rachel saw a flash of tanned skin, red and white clothes buzz past her. Dave was up against the locker, his jersey bunched up at his neck by a smaller Latina girl.

"Please tell me you didn't just throw a slushie at the new girl." The girl shoved him harder into the lockers when he made the mistake of letting a smile slip. "I swear to whatever God you pray to, I'll kick your ass so hard next time I even _see_ a slushie in your hand. Got me?"

"Ease up Lopez," Dave coughed a little when she relaxed her grip. "It's pretty much tradition, isn't it?"

"I don't fucking care what it is, you don't _ever_ go near her. Got me?"

Dave made eye contact with Rachel as he sneered a little before nodding his head.

"Good, now get out of my sight." She shoved him away and yelled at the rest of the students to disappear before they got their asses kicked as well. Rachel never saw so many people scurry out of the halls in a hurry before. "You okay?" The girl who rescued her asked her in a bored tone, looking down at her nails.

"I..." Rachel shook her head but refused to cry. She had no other clothes to change into and she didn't feel like being humiliated with slushie drippings all over her clothes.

"Look, he won't bother you again, okay? I heard from Puck that you were the new girl and promised to keep you out of trouble. Dave doesn't listen well and he'll get what's coming to him so don't sweat it. I'm Santana by the way." The girl picked off a few ice chunks from the white sweater and then snapped her fingers before crossing her arms over her chest.

Rachel watched as two blondes saddled up beside her, wearing identical cheerleading uniforms, and she couldn't help but feel insecure at the way they were drinking her in. The one blonde was taller than both girls but held a friendly smile and gave her a gentle wave. The shorter blonde tilted her head to the side before squaring her jaw and turning to look at Santana.

"Did Karofsky do this?" She hissed before her hazel eyes caught Rachel's.

"Yup and I'm making sure his teammates hear about it as well." Santana shrugged and patted both girls on the back. "Brittany, Quinn, can you please take..."

Rachel stared at them before realizing they were waiting for a name. "Oh, I'm Rachel."

Quinn smiled a little and stepped forward, grabbing the brunette's hand while Brittany took her other hand. "We'll get her cleaned up. Which class do you have?"

"Spanish." Rachel sighed and licked her lips, the grape flavour sweet on her tongue.

"Eh, Shuester's easy. We have him too." Santana waved them off before making her way down the hall. "I'll cover for you just make it quick."

Brittany saluted obediently and giggled when Quinn tugged her hand down. "Come on, let's get Rachel clean."

"I'm Brittany!" The tall blonde hugged Rachel's arm affectionately. "I'm a Virgo and I love long walks on the beach even though I've never been to one."

Rachel couldn't help but laugh a little and nodded. "I'm Rachel, I'm a Sagittarius and I love music and singing."

Quinn chuckled beside them and then noticed eyes were on her. "Britt, you already know who and what I am."

"But Rachel the Sagittarius doesn't." Brittany pouted.

"Oh for crying out loud, don't pout. Santana hates it when I make you sad." Quinn huffed and opened the locker room door for them to step into. "I'm Quinn, I'm a Gemini and I like girls. Happy?"

Rachel's eyes widened at the forwardness of that information Quinn had shared. She opened her mouth to say something then closed it quickly again. Unfortunately it caused Quinn to scowl at her and cross her arms over her chest, raising a perfect eyebrow. "I'm sorry Rachel, does that bother you?"

"What? No!" Rachel rushed and shook her head before laughing. "I'm just... I guess I'm not used to people being so open about it."

"Open about what?" Brittany asked, confused.

"Their sexuality?" The brunette whispered, afraid that she had pissed off the two cheerleaders.

"Well I don't broadcast it to just anyone but since we own your ass now that Santana saved it, I know you won't say anything." Quinn replied causally and chewed on her bottom lip before laughing at the aghast expression crossing the brunette's features. "I'm kidding Rachel." She chuckled and opened up her gym locker, digging out her duffle bag. "We don't own your ass but I still felt like I could tell you. Besides, I don't hide who I am… it's just no one's really asked me who I was."

"Oh." Rachel breathed a sigh of relief before she felt Brittany nudge her.

Brittany managed to whisper a 'you're a Gemini, remember?' into Quinn's ear, making the other blonde smile fondly at her aloof best friend.

"Santana and I have sex all the time." Brittany nodded with a dreamy look on her face. "She says it's not considered dating though. I don't get what she means by that because she gets really mad when I'm asked out by someone else."

"Because she likes you?" Quinn shook her head. "You know Santana, she's very... hard on the outside."

"But she's really warm and soft on the inside!" Brittany stated proudly and stopped short when she realized what she just said. "Pretend you never heard that part."

"Forgotten." Rachel muttered, trying to wrap her mind around everything. She cast the shorter blonde a bewildered look.

Quinn just shrugged and handed Rachel some spare clothes. "These are my cheerleading track pants, t-shirt and hoodie. I'm sorry I have nothing else for you."

"Quinn," Rachel breathed, "thank you."

A small blush appeared on the blonde's cheek but she waved the girl off. "Did you want us to wait?"

"No, you guys shouldn't have to miss class because of me. I won't be long anyway." Rachel smiled gratefully and was careful not to have the fresh clothes in her hands touch her, probably stained, shirt.

"Well here's a towel." Brittany threw it over the shower stall and smiled at the brunette. "You're cute, I like you!" She giggled before following Quinn out of the locker room.

Rachel felt the need to write the day of events down in a notebook when she got home. It couldn't be real what she was living because her, of all people, would not be saved by a few cheerleaders and befriend a few football players. It just didn't happen in Rachel Berry's world – only in this one, it did.


	4. Who Are You

**If This Is A Dream (Then I'm Happy You're Having It With Me)**

**Chapter Four | Who Are You?**

When Rachel found Dave Karofsky hanging up in the large foyer of the school by duct tape and only in his underwear, she felt a sense of satisfaction swell up inside.

Santana had come up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder while she laughed along with the rest of the student body at the sight before them. "Isn't there something you'd like to say to Rachel?" She eyed up the boy that was struggling to free himself. It was no use, the tape was on thick and it would hurt like a bitch when they finally took him down.

"Screw you Lopez! You and your slutty friends." He spat and struggled against the wall more.

Quinn was about to step forward when Santana shot her arm out to stop her. "You know, you're really not in the position to be talking to me like that."

"When I get down from here..." Dave started to say something but he watched his fellow teammates step forward. "Come on guys, I thought we were friends."

"You thought wrong." Puck stated calmly and popped the collar of his jacket. He whipped out a roll of duct tape and ripped a piece of, getting ready to cover the other boy's mouth.

"Puckerman, hold up." Quinn shot forward to hold his hand back and narrowed her eyes on Dave. "I think you need to apologize to Rachel."

Dave tightened his jaw and wrestled against the tape with more force but it was no use. His eyes pinned the small brunette that was pulled into Brittany's arms and he bit his lip hard, struggling with his words. "I'm sorry, okay?"

"Good." Quinn smiled a little and grabbed the piece of tape from Puck's hand and climbed onto the ladder that was taunting the hanging student. "Now once more," she whispered against his ear, "with feeling."

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I'll never slushie you again." Dave huffed and desperately wanted down from where he was because the more students that piled out of their classrooms ready to go home, the more humiliated he was becoming.

Rachel tugged on Santana's arm and got the head cheerleader's attention. "He apologized, maybe the guys could cut him loose?"

"No way Berry." Santana sneered and rolled her neck a little while her attention went back to Quinn taping his mouth shut. "This jerk had it coming, long before you came into the picture. He can stew in the humiliation for a while. The guys will take him down after their practice."

"I don't know why you guys care so much about what he did to me." Rachel asked puzzled, clutching her binder close to her chest. "I'm nothing special."

"Aw, that's not true Rach," Brittany played with Rachel's hair, twirling it around her fingers. "You're new and that's special around here."

"Yeah, maybe you'll lighten up this dull place." Quinn wiped her hands on her skirt and gave the brunette a soft smile. "We have Cheerios practice but we can drive you home when we're done if you don't mind waiting for a bit?"

Santana nodded, giving the tiny brunette a tight-lipped smile before slipping her pinky into Brittany's. "We have time to spare though so Britt and I need a bathroom break."

"But I don't have to go." Brittany frowned innocently but her blue eyes widened in excitement behind Santana's words. "Oh! Yes, we must go now."

Rachel grinned and watched the two disappear through the crowd before turning back to Quinn. She bit her lip and gestured her hands towards the clothes she had on. "I'll change as soon as I get home and give these back. I mean, I'll wash them first of course."

Quinn smiled and shrugged. "Keep the hoodie if you want."

Rachel looked down at the slightly large grey hoodie she had on and her eyes widened. "But it's so comfortable, why would you want to give it away so easily?"

The blonde laughed and tilted her head slightly, her eyes taking in the girl before her. "It suits you, you look good in it." She paused and looked away quickly. "Just, consider it a souvenir or something, I don't know."

Rachel held her breath before nodded and whispering a thank you quietly.

"S'no big deal. I have another one in my locker that I can wear." Quinn turned away from the brunette when she heard Puck call her name. "You know where the gym is, right?" She asked Rachel and when the girl nodded, she squeezed her arm and took off towards the direction of where Puck was standing.

She allowed her eyes to scan the rest of the students as they started to leave the scene of Dave hung up on the wall and made the decision to make her way down the hall and towards the gym. Being alone for the first time since she woke up, Rachel was able to take in what exactly was going on – or at least try to.

If they had moved to Lima a month ago like her fathers mentioned, she couldn't figure out what happened between the night she fell asleep in Minnesota to that very morning when she woke up in Ohio. Just thinking about it all was giving her a headache and she took in a deep breath. Surely there was something to help her understand what or how it all happened.

* * *

Quinn parked her car behind a vehicle in Rachel's driveway. She looked over at the passenger and offered a soft grin. "Seems like you've had an eventful first day. I'm still sorry you were slushied. I hope you can get the stain out of your white sweater."

The brunette laughed and looked out the window. "I can't say I expected any of this when I woke up this morning." Her eyes turned back to Quinn's and they stared at each other for a few seconds before muffled sounds came from behind them. "Uh..." Rachel's head shift straight forward when she caught a quick glance at Brittany straddling Santana in the back seat.

"Hey! Not in my car!" Quinn threw her iPod cord back at them and rolled her eyes at the soft curses coming from Santana.

"Fine." The head cheerleader huffed but made no effort to push the leggy blonde off her lap.

"Did you want to come in?" Rachel asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure how nice the girls were being to her and didn't know if she could handle the rejection.

The three cheerleaders all made eye contact before nodding their heads.

Rachel couldn't stop the wide smile that plastered across her face. She opened the passenger door and jumped out more excited than necessary but she couldn't help. Three of the most popular cheerleaders, not only saved her that morning, but _wanted_ to hang out with her willingly. For the first time since waking up, she hoped that she was dreaming.

The house was bigger than her previous one but it felt like home. The smell was the same and the feel of comfort surrounded as it did every other time she walked through the front door. The girls were chatting when they entered the hallway leading towards the living room and found two men sitting on the couch watching the Discovery Channel.

"Hey Berry Blossom!" Leroy gave her a grin but his eyes widened at the look of horror on his daughter's face when three other girls stepped into the room behind her.

"Berry Blossom?" Santana snickered quietly but was elbowed by Quinn to shut it.

"Dad, Daddy," Rachel stepped forward with confidence and gestured her hand towards her new friends, "I'd like you to meet Quinn, Santana and Brittany."

"Hello ladies." Hiram got up and shook their hands politely. "I'm Hiram and this oaf of a man is my husband, Leroy."

"Mr. Berries." Brittany did a little curtsy and smiled when they laughed a little. She was easily amused and easy to please; it was charm she had skilled to perfection without even knowing it.

"Please, Leroy and Hiram." The tall black man smiled warmly. "It looks a little cold outside, you girls want some hot chocolate?"

Rachel did a happy dance internally when all three of them nodded their heads. "I'm just going to change quickly." She turned towards her fathers. "Play nice."

"Did you join the squad?" Leroy asked, checking out her attire before noticing the other girls were wearing matching pants and hoodies.

"No." Rachel shrugged.

"She had an accident with a slushie this morning and we didn't want her walking around in cold purple stained clothes." Quinn explained with a sincere smile.

"Yeah, but don't worry, San will tear his testicles off if Karofsky goes near her again." Brittany nodded in assurance; completely unaware of the glares sent her way.

"Honey, are you having trouble in school again?" Hiram asked with concern lacing his voice. He took off his glasses and studied her cautiously.

Rachel didn't look in her friends' direction and she sighed heavily. "No, it was just a misunderstanding okay? I'm going to change." She hurried up the stairs to her room and closed the door behind her. A part of her didn't want them to know how much of loser she was because that would probably cost her their friendship but the other part didn't want to care; simply because she still had to figure out how she got to where she was and if the book had anything to do with it.

Ignoring the urge to tear her room apart from top to bottom in order to find that damn journal, she stripped her clothes and threw them in the hamper. She'd do laundry that night and give Quinn her clothes back clean. Picking out a pair of jeans and a simple grey tight fitting t-shirt, she made her way back down to the kitchen and heard the laughter and chatter coming from her dads and new friends.

"Did you like being a one of the only male cheerleaders?" Quinn asked Leroy with a look of awe on her face.

"Well, there were a few other male cheerleaders so I didn't feel out of place and it was fun. Hiram said I should've played on the basketball team but I didn't handle balls very well." Leroy sighed and when he heard the three girls burst into a fit of giggles, his face went bright red while Hiram choked on his water before coughing to catch his breath.

"Oh man Lee, I like you." Santana laughed and pointed to the taller man.

"Me too!" Brittany grinned and plopped herself on Santana's lap. "San and I don't like balls very much either. She says that's why we're cheerleaders."

"Oh _**god**_." Quinn breathed and put her head down when it was the men that took their turn to laugh. She heard a shuffle near the hallway and looked over to see Rachel staring at them in confusion. "Rach! Please save me from all this talk about balls."

Leroy and Hiram's laughter grew harder when their daughter turned a dark shade of red before walking towards the empty seat next to Quinn. "Dare I ask how the topic of... um, balls came up?"

"It was innocent, I swear." Her dad raised his hands up in the air before pointing to the other girls at the table. "They twisted it around."

"Well can we change the subject? I really don't need you two talking about... that, especially in front of me." Rachel raised an eyebrow and heard the two girls across the table start to chuckle.

"Your friends agreed to stay for dinner so why don't you show them your room while we start making it." Hiram waved the four girls out of the room before he resumed his snickering, having his husband quietly shush him when Rachel looked back at them with a scowl.

"You have a huge freaking house, Rachel." Brittany looked down the large halls before poking her head into a spare guest room. "We should play hide and go seek!"

"B," Santana pulled her away from the room and wrapped an arm around her waist, nuzzling her neck, "last time we played that, you got lost and you were the seeker."

Quinn chuckled and followed Rachel into a spacious bedroom with yellow walls and hardwood floors. "Wow," she breathed as she took in all the posters and different artwork tastefully crowding the walls. "My room isn't even half this size."

Rachel smiled a little and sat on the edge of her bed, folding her hands in her lap. "It gets lonely sometimes." She admitted and didn't feel bad for saying it because even though her other room was smaller, it still felt lonely with no friends.

"You think your dads will let you have us spend the night sometime?" Santana asked, scouting out the space on the floor. They could see the wheels turning in her head.

"Of course!" Rachel perked up and nodded eagerly.

"You act like you've never had friends before." Santana looked at the brunette, squinting her eyes a little. "I mean, you have had sleepovers right?"

"When I was younger, I guess." Rachel shrugged and jumped up off the bed. "Did you want to have one this Saturday?"

"Yes!" Brittany clapped her hands and tucked herself in Santana's side. "Is this like one of our sleepovers, S?"

"No!" Quinn and Santana both said, a little too loudly, startling Rachel and Brittany. "Britt, you and Santana can't have your type of sleepovers with me and Rachel in the same room, okay?"

"Well we asked if you wanted to join." Brittany rolled her eyes a little. "I don't know why you'd turn us down, we're hot."

Santana found herself nodding before scowling and facing Brittany. "Am I not good enough for you?"

Rachel's eyes widened a little. "I... don't think that's what she means, S ... Santana."

"Whatever." The other girl crossed her arms over her chest but she couldn't stay irritated at the pouty blonde for long. She found herself wrapped up in toned arms and lips hot on hers.

"Do they ever come up for air?" Rachel whispered to Quinn, trying to avoid the scene in front of her.

"Hardly." Quinn said in a bored tone and wrapped her hand around Rachel's arm, pulling her out of the bedroom. "They won't do anything on your bed but I wouldn't want to be in the same room as them when they get like this."

"Hey Quinn?" Rachel leaned against the hallway wall and tucked her bottom lip between her teeth while she waited to have the blonde's attention. When she had it, she shifted from one foot to the other and smiled shyly. "Thank you for letting me borrow your clothes today. I'll have them washed for you tomorrow."

"I told you it was no big deal." Quinn's tone was softer than it had been earlier that afternoon. "It's really sweet that your dads invited us over for dinner. You don't mind do you?"

"No, not at all." Rachel gushed, barely containing her excitement.

Quinn chuckled and leaned her back on the same wall Rachel was on, making them stand side by side. "So can I ask you a question?" She asked, looking towards the brunette.

"Of course." Rachel nodded as she tried to ignore the tingles coursing through her arm when Quinn's brushed against hers briefly.

"Who are you?" The blonde cheerleader asked with a hint of wonder in her voice. She watched as Rachel raised an eyebrow and looked around slightly confused.

"I'm Rachel Berry?" She answered, frowning before glancing at Quinn. "The Sagittarius?"

Quinn let out a genuine laugh and turned so that she was facing the brunette while her hand played with the hem of her skirt. "No, I meant... where did you come from? No one in his or her right mind would move to a place like Lima or a state like Ohio. You kind of came out of nowhere."

Rachel snorted and nodded in agreement but quickly composed herself. "You really wouldn't believe me if I told you." She shrugged with a baffled look because she couldn't really believe something she didn't understand herself.

"Well try me." Quinn raised her head a bit as her eyes studied the shorter girl's face carefully.

"How about we get to know each other more before we dive into that conversation." Rachel chuckled softly and felt her heart leap a little when Quinn flashed her playful smile while nodding her head. When they heard a crash coming from Rachel's room, their moment was broken. "What's going on?"

Quinn rolled her eyes in annoyance and sighed heavily. "I said they wouldn't touch your bed but I didn't factor in that you had a desk in your room." She was about to barge in the room when she felt a small hand wrap around her wrist. "What's wrong?"

"You're not just going to walk in on them are you?" Rachel's eyes widened.

"If you'd rather them not have sex in your room, then yes I am." Quinn smiled a little when the look of embarrassment crossed Rachel's face. "I've had to do this many times before, they're used to it."

"Oh." Rachel nodded her head towards her bedroom door.

Quinn chuckled quietly before throwing the door open and rolling her eyes at the fact that Brittany was pressed against the desk with Santana's hand up her shirt. "Are you kidding me right now?"

Santana grunted and extracted her flush body away from Brittany and gave Quinn her best death glare. "Problem, Fabray?"

"Where are your manners, Lopez?" Quinn crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. "You have a kind invite to stay for dinner and this is how you repay them? By having sex in someone else's bedroom?"

"We weren't having sex, Q." Brittany said simply with a small shrug as she straightened out her uniform top. "San said she just wanted a quick grope."

Santana smirked at Rachel's shocked reaction and smoothed down her own clothes. "It would've been a longer grope if you hadn't ruined it." She directed her statement towards Quinn and resumed her previous glare.

Rachel looked at the three girls and bit her lip. "Well if you want to continue, Quinn and I can go downstairs?" She had never had friends before, at least friends that didn't willingly hang out at her house without putting up a fuss first. So she thought if she gave Santana a reason to like her, even it meant allowing them to defile her bedroom, she'd do it.

"Rach, no." Quinn scowled.

"Wow, I like you." Santana laughed and flung herself on the bed, inviting Brittany to cuddle up to her side. "But Quinn's right, I can't do that to you. As much as I'd love to have B's legs wrapped around me right now, it'd be rude of me."

Brittany nodded silently and placed a soft kiss to the girl's cheek.

"But thank you for the offer and I hope it stands within the future." Santana threw the short brunette a wink and closed her eyes.

Rachel blinked and Quinn wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulder. "I think you're going to fit right in with us." The blonde smiled sweetly.

Later on that night when Rachel sat down to eat with her dads and three new friends; she couldn't help but feel like she was about to wake up at any second. Her small frame had never been filled with so much happiness before that she figured it was some cosmic joke that, not only was it happening to her, but _how_ it was happening.

"So did you want a ride to school tomorrow?" Quinn asked as she lingered in the front hallway, doing up her coat.

"It's okay," Rachel smiled politely, "I don't mind taking the bus. But thank you for the offer."

"The bus is for people who aren't cool enough to have a car." Brittany shrugged. "Since Quinn has a car, she makes us all cool."

Santana rolled her eyes. "I have my licence B, I'm just grounded from using the car for another two months."

"That's what happens when you let someone without a licence drive and then get pulled over by the cops." Quinn snickered and yelped when Santana threw a punch to her arm. "Ow, San!"

"Shut it, lesbo." Santana sneered but then let a smile fall to her lips while wrapping an arm around Brittany's waist. "I'd let B drive again if I could. She was only swerving because there was a family of ducks crossing the road."

Rachel stood back, clearly amused by the small banter between the three cheerleaders. "If I'm not out of the way, sure, I'd love a ride. Thank you Quinn."

Santana and Quinn shared a smirk before the head cheerleader ushered the taller blonde outside after saying their thanks to the older Berry men.

Quinn eyed up the short brunette and inhaled sharply before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the small body. "Thank you for having us over." She whispered as she felt Rachel relax in her arms.

Rachel's arms encircled the blonde's waist and rested her cheek on Quinn's shoulder. "Thank you for rescuing me this morning."

Quinn chuckled quietly and pulled back, her hands lingering on Rachel's shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. "If this is the thanks we get, we should make it a habit to rescue you more often." The flirty tone was not lost on either of them but Quinn forced herself not to blush. "Then again, I'd hate to have all your clothes ruined with that sticky stuff."

Rachel laughed and nodded, her hands slipping from the girl's hips and to her own sides. "Drive safe?"

"Always do." The blonde cheerleader winked and opened the door behind her. "See you tomorrow Rach."

Rachel could only smile widely, unable to hide just how happy she was.


End file.
